


The Art of Inarticulation

by thedoctordanceswithrose



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Romance, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-11 20:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2081793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedoctordanceswithrose/pseuds/thedoctordanceswithrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Noble is a struggling writer who's lost all inspiration. Rose Tyler is a shop girl looking for an adventure. When they become roommates, John thinks he may have found the answer to his problems in their friendship. But then...the story is always so much more complicated than that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue

 

John Noble stared dully at the blank document on his computer.

“Words...words...words...” he mumbled, willing them to come, but of course they didn’t. For someone who talked almost all the time (according to Donna anyway), he really should have more to say on paper--but he didn’t. Or, rather, he didn’t at first--fingers a blur as they flew over the keys, clever phrases, witty dialogue poured onto the page and then….nothing. All words seemed to fly out the window he liked to keep open above his desk.

He huffed in frustration, scrolling back up to see what he’d already written. The plot was moving steadily, the dialogue was clear, the protagonist in character...so what was wrong? He ran a hand through his hair, yanking on the strands as the urge to bang his head on the desk overwhelmed him. Instead he slammed his laptop closed and put his head in his hands. Finally he had an entire day devoted to his writing and he had _nothing_. 

“This is hopeless,” he murmured, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

He jumped as a loud knock sounded on the door. He checked his watch, frowning; Donna should still be at the shop. He hesitated before getting to his feet and striding towards the door. If this was a bloody salesman-- 

His thoughts cut off as the door swung open, revealing a young blonde woman on his doorstep. A young blonde woman who’d been surveying her surroundings and turned back to look at him as he opened the door. A young blonde woman whose eyes brightened as she smiled. A young blonde woman who was really--” 

“Hello!” she said, brightly. 

John closed his slightly gaping mouth. “Hello.” 

“Are you Jack?” 

His heart seemed to sink a couple inches. She _would_ be looking for Jack. “Uhm, no. No, I’m not. I’m his roommate.” 

“Oh,” she smiled, holding out her hand. “I’m Rose.” She let out a nervous laugh, adding, “Rose Tyler.” 

There was something expectant in her tone he couldn’t quite figure out. Almost as if she’s someone he should know about. He flipped through the memories in his brain, trying to pick out any mention of ‘Rose Tyler’ from Jack. He’d have remembered a name like that, though; Rose Tyler. Brilliant name.

Rose Tyler was staring at him like he was odd. _Oh,_ he should be speaking _._ He coughed, trying to cover up his slightly too lengthy silence. “Nice to meet you, Rose.”  He paused. Usually he had Jack here by now, appearing at his shoulder at the first sign of anyone attractive to handle all the talking. Well, talking that wasn’t rambling about things no one else seemed to care about. He should probably be talking again, he realized. 

“Can--?” 

“--What’s your name?” she asked at the same time. 

“Oh. Right. Uhm, John?” He kicked himself internally, his nervousness making it sound like a question. 

“You sure about that?” she asked, amusement filling her voice. 

He breathed out a laugh. “Yeah. Definitely John. John Noble.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet, wishing he had some of Jack’s easy confidence with new people. “Uh, Jack isn’t here. Can I, uhm, help you with something?” 

She smiled. “You look so concerned.” 

He blinked at her. 

“I’m here about the room,” she added, as if that would explain everything. 

“The room?” he repeated, dumbly. 

Rose’s smile faded. “The one Jack is letting?” 

“What?!” 

Rose looked like she wasn’t so sure about him anymore. “Uhm...the room for rent...ya know...in the…” she furrowed her brow as she dug around in her bag, “...paper,” she finished, holding up a page in the classifieds that did indeed have his address on it being let by none other than Jack Harkness. 

“There’s been some mistake. I don’t--We’re not--I mean, Jack isn’t--” he spluttered, shaking his head. 

Rose was looking more confused by the second and took a step back. 

“I’m sorry,” he said hurriedly. He opened the door fully. “Do you want to come in? I can just call him really quick.” 

Rose bit her lip, hesitating for just a moment before nodding. “Yeah. Sure.” 

He stepped aside as she walked past him. He tried not to notice the way she smelled like strawberries and something that made him think inexplicably of spring as he closed the door behind her. 

Rose looked around, shyly, hands fiddling with the strap of her bag. 

John walked over to the sofa, shoving aside the huge mound of books to make room for her. He smiled. “You can sit down if you like. I’ll just go call Jack.” He tried to walk in several directions at once, mind completely addled. “Phone. Where’d I put my…?” 

Rose pointed at his desk against the far wall. “Is that it?” 

“Yes!” He walked over, scooped it up and scrambled back towards the kitchen. He opened the door, dialing Jack’s number and glanced back at Rose. “Be back in a mo’,” he said hurriedly, before ducking back into the kitchen, pulling the door closed behind him. 

After three rings Jack picked up. “Hey Johnny Boy! What’s up?” 

He rolled his eyes at the familiar nickname. “Jack, what the _hell_ did you do?”

“Uh...can you be more specific?” 

“Specific. Yeah. How about the fact that there’s a Rose Tyler here who’s talking about the room you’re letting?” 

“Oh, damn, did I tell her _this_ Friday _?”_  

“Tell her _what_?” 

“I was going to talk to you about it this weekend, John.” 

“Tell me _now_.” 

He heard Jack clear his throat. “Well, I _did_ tell you I was thinking about moving out soon.” 

“Yes, ‘ _soon.’_ You didn’t tell me you’d already put an ad in the bloody paper.”   

“I was _going to_! Does that count for anything?” He could practically hear Jack’s cheeky smile over the phone he always used to win over anyone frustrated with him.

“No.” 

“Relax, John. I’m barely around anymore anyway - you said so yourself.” He paused.”I’m going to do it... I’m moving in with Ianto.”

John froze, anger subsiding momentarily. “Really?” 

“Really. You and Donna were right.” 

John smiled. “Right, well, I’m happy for you, but--” 

“--Loosen up, Johnny Boy. I checked Rose out--in more ways than one I might add--and she seems great--in more ways than one. Also a bit weird. You’d get along great --” 

“--Shut up--” 

“--So just show her around. See if she likes it.” 

“Fine. I’ll talk to you later--” 

“--Wait….is she gorgeous? She sounded gorgeous on the phone.” 

John lifted his eyes to the ceiling again. “Bye, Jack.” 

He paused outside the kitchen door, looking down at himself. He ran a hand through his hair, felt the pencil he had tucked behind his ear and removed it, tossing it somewhere on the floor behind him and smoothed the wrinkles from his shirt.

“Right then,” he said to himself. “Time to find out more about Rose Tyler.”


	2. Chapter 1

“So what’s she like?”

John paused in the middle of shelving the new books at his feet. He peered over the shelf and raised his eyebrows at Donna. 

“Well, I’ve just met her, haven’t I? I don’t really know.” 

Donna smirked. “So she’s gorgeous.” 

One of the books nearly slipped from his hand. Donna snorted as he scrambled to save it. “What?” 

“You’ve hardly said a word all morning. I’ve actually had some peace and quiet. It’s freaking me out actually.” 

John shook his head, stocking the shelf again. “Oh, shut up.” 

“Oi!” 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, cringing slightly. He heard the thunk of a book on the shelf and the soft rustling of carpet as Donna came around to his side of the bookcase. 

She crossed her arms, leaning slightly against the cart full of books they still had to unload. 

“It’s not just that though,” she said, eyes narrowing. “You’re all...twitchy.” 

He rolled his eyes as he began stacking the books with a new fervor. He couldn’t wait for this conversation to be over. “According to you, I’m always twitchy.” 

Donna pursed her lips, cocking her head to the side as she sized him up. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “Not like this,” she said, finally. 

He ignored her as she grabbed the clipboard hanging off the cart and wandered off towards the back of the store to take inventory. Sighing with relief as he finished stocking the shelf, he grabbed the empty boxes and began stacking them in the empty cart. He frowned, spotting a book he’d somehow missed and scanned the titles on the shelf, searching for its proper place. 

Donna called from the back of the shop, “So, tell me, Spaceman…” 

He let out a breath of frustration as he slid the book to where it belonged. Whispering a string of expletives under his breath, he turned back towards the cart before shouting back, “What?!” 

“Is she blonde?” 

John failed to answer as his foot caught on the wheel of the cart and he went sprawling. He didn’t have to see Donna’s smile of self-satisfaction to know his ears turned red.

…….

John closed the front door and plunked his keys down on the side table loudly; he didn’t want to startle Rose by just appearing at her door. He slipped off his shoes, placing them next to hers. Well, that was nice. Jack was eternally wearing shoes wherever he went, inside or out, and it always irritated him for some reason.

He could hear the ripping of tape as she unpacked boxes in her new bedroom. He started to walk towards her door, but stopped halfway there. Should he give her privacy? Should he help her unpack? Should he just poke his head in and say hello? Living with strangers was weird. Not that he hadn’t done it before. Jack was once a stranger, but with Jack that wasn’t exactly an issue for very long. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t know anything about Rose.

He learned she had a mum named Jackie -- who sounded slightly terrifying -- her dad died when she was a baby, she worked at Henriks, she’d been living with her mate Shareen, she loved pink, she chose Dickens’ A Christmas Carol out of the all the books on his sofa to read while she waited, and sometimes, when she smiled her tongue would poke between her teeth. 

Making a decision, he walked to her open door and knocked lightly. 

She looked up from the box she was unpacking and grinned. “Hello! ‘Thought I heard you come in.” 

He felt himself smile back instinctively and looked around the room. “Wow, you’re almost done in here.” 

“Yep! Last box, right here.”  She pulled out an extremely long string with what appeared to be dozens of post cards hanging from it. Her lips quirked up in a tiny smile as she saw his confused expression. 

“Want to help me hang this up?” 

He hurried over and grabbed one end of the string, following her over to the opposite wall. “What is this?” he asked, as she held it up to where she wanted it. She cocked her head to the side as she contemplated how high to put it. 

“Something ridiculous,” she said. 

“The best things in life often are,” he answered with a soft smile. 

She didn’t answer at first, but laid her end of the string down and grabbed some tape off her dresser. Turning back to him with an appraising look, she said, “They’re everywhere I want to go.” 

She stared at him, almost as if daring him to laugh but he didn’t. 

“What’s wrong with that?” 

“I don’t exactly have the best chances of going anywhere,” she said quietly, ripping off several pieces of tape and beginning to attach the string to the wall. “Biggest thing I ever did was make it off the estate.” 

He grabbed the tape she held out on her finger and mirrored her actions. “You never know. Things could always change.” 

She took a step towards him, taping closer and closer to the middle. “Change,” she said with a small laugh. “I could do with more of that.” 

“Change always comes. Good or bad. The universe is funny like that.” He could feel her eyes on him but he kept his eyes on the movement of his hands. 

“And what’s the universe given you more of?” 

“Both,” he answered, lightly. He cleared his throat. “But, uh, s’pose a bit more bad as of late, though.” 

He jolted slightly as her shoulder brushed his. They’d met in the middle. He met her gaze. “Still. There’s always hope.” 

“You know that for a fact, do you?” 

He smiled, looking away as he slapped the last piece of tape on the wall. “Yep! You wouldn’t keep this up if there wasn’t!” 

She tilted her head, a strange smile on her lips. “S’pose that’s true.” 

He stepped back and surveyed their work. “So where’d you get all these anyway?” 

She came to stand next to him, crossing her arms. “My mum used to work at a travel agency. She’d bring home postcards and maps and things. I’ve got tons more in there,” she said, nodding towards her closet. “I always wanted to --” she broke off. “Anyway...” 

“You always wanted to what?” 

She ducked her head, “It’s stupid.” 

John nudged her shoulder. “I once thought I could make a toaster sonic and I blew it up. There’s a scorch mark on my wall.” 

Rose laughed. “You’re joking!” 

“I’m not! I have some sort of mad scientist fantasy that I will invent something brilliant and life-changing, make tons of money, and travel the world showing it off.” 

She giggled. “You’re already sort of mad.” She waved her hands around her head. “You’ve even got the hair for it.” 

He preened slightly. “Really?” 

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Yeah.” She paused, toeing the carpet and gave him a look he couldn’t read. “So...if you build this sonic toaster of yours and go traveling the world, can I come with you?” 

He beamed. “Not a bad life, then?” 

She grinned in that way with her tongue between her teeth. “Better with two.” 

He nudged her. “So come on then, what was yours?” 

“Oh,” she laughed, “So, you know in movies where travelers have those big maps of the world hanging on the wall, right? I got one of those ‘cos I wanted to like stick pins in every place I visited on the map.” She blushed. “Sort of simple, yeah, but I always wanted to do that.” 

He smiled. “Nothing wrong with that.” 

“Better start making those toasters then!” 

He nodded. “Quite right. You know, I really thought I was on the brink of --” He cut off as Rose’s stomach growled. 

Rose laid her hand across it, giggling. “Sorry.” 

“No, no, it’s fine.” He stumbled back towards the doorway, all spastic nerves and awkward babbling, kicking in. “I--I should let you..uhh...I’ll just go --” 

“--Hang on.” Rose stepped forward. “Do you fancy getting some chips?” 

“Chips?” he repeated, dumbly. 

“Yeah.” 

“Yes. That’d be brilliant. Yeah. Chips. Good.” 

Rose raised her eyebrows. “You need to relax. It’s not like it’s a date or anything.” 

He nodded quickly. “Right. No. ‘Course not. Let’s uh...let’s go.” He shook his head at himself as she passed, carding a hand through his hair in embarrassment. 

“Oh, that was brilliant,” he muttered. 

Rose looked back, smiling gently and nodded her head towards the door. “Come on, if you’re coming.”

He smiled back. He needed to relax. Rose Tyler wasn’t a stranger anymore. If he was lucky --and he didn’t cock it up-- she might be his friend.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Rose looked up from her book and grinned as John entered the flat. “Hello,” she said, brightly.

He gave her a weary smile. “Hello,” he answered, beginning to toe off his shoes.

Rose watched as he hung up his long brown coat. She could see the tension in his back and the defeated slump of his shoulders which he rolled until she heard a soft crack and he sighed in relief. She sat up on the sofa so her back rested against the arm, pulling her legs up to make room for him as he walked over.

“Rough day?” she asked, as he plopped down heavily beside her.

“Absolutely dreadful,” he said, smiling wryly.

Rose grimaced. “What happened?”

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. She didn’t know much about her new flatmate but she could already tell he did that whenever he was frustrated. He threw his head back against the sofa and said, “I misplaced an entire shipment of books in the shop this morning. Tore the whole place apart looking for it because I swear that whole place is bigger on the inside and when I finally found the damn books, I found out they were shipped all wrong. We now have twice the amount of  _The Archangel_  series we need and were only sent a fraction of  _The Ood Sphere_.”

Rose wrinkled her nose. “Sounds awful. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and gave a half-hearted wave. “It’s all right. Not as bad as tomorrow will be…” He paused, chuckling, “which doesn’t make me feel any better, actually.”

Rose laughed softly, then looked at him for a moment, considering. “Tell you what, we should watch a film.”

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. “A film?”

“Yeah, how about it? Order a pizza, watch a film, forget all about your day...and tomorrow as well.”

He smiled at her, looking mildly surprised. “That sounds like a fantastic idea.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Rose grinned, hopping up from the sofa. “Great! I’ll order a pizza and you…” she paused, turning back to face him and narrowing her eyes, “Can I trust you to pick a film that isn’t total shit?”

John looked at her, feigning offense. “Rose Tyler, I’ll have you know I have  _excellent_ taste in films.”

Rose smiled, her tongue poking out between her teeth. “Is that right? Well, I’ll be the judge of that.”

“Fair enough!” he said, brightly. He scrambled off the sofa and began scanning his bookcase full of movies right next to the TV.

“Where do you want to order from?”

“There’s a menu in the drawer, just over there,” he said distractedly, nodding towards his desk under the window.

Rose walked over to the desk, glancing at the cluttered surface and seeing scrawled notes, crumpled up bits of paper, pens, books, sketches of what looked like very complicated (and totally dangerous) enhancements to various household appliances, and a manner of other odd things, including a rubber ball, a banana, and an oddly shaped mask.

She glanced over her shoulder, checking to make sure he was still preoccupied since this probably looked a bit like snooping...which, it sort of was. She’d lived with John a mere two weeks and between her work hours and his, they hadn’t spent that much time together, so in some ways it felt like she barely knew him, but in others it felt like she’d known him always. She figured it was the way he talked all the time, poking his head into her room for a chat whenever he was home, but said next to nothing about himself.

She opened his top right drawer, shuffling around some papers in search of a menu, and spotted a thick book with a bright blue cover on it. Curious--and completely nosy--she picked it up. She gaped as she read the front cover:  _A Life of Impossible Things by--_

\--“Dr. John Noble?” she read aloud.

John spun around, eyes wide and shocked, his own mouth hanging open. His eyes landed on the book in her hand and his lips pressed together tightly. A shuttered look she didn’t like crossed his face.

“Oh,” he said flatly, clearing his throat, “wrong drawer.”

Rose put a hand on her hip. “Hold on. You’re a doctor?!”

His jaw clenched. “Yes,” he said, tightly.

“A doctor of what?”

“Physics.”

“I thought you worked in a bookstore?”

“I can’t work in a bookstore if I have a doctorate?”

“No,” she huffed, “I mean, of course you can, but...” her eyes trailed back down to the book she was holding. “You wrote a  _book._ ”

“And?”

“You told me you did a bit of writing for a  _hobby_!” 

He tugged on his ear in discomfort. “Well. I do.”

“You’re a bloody writer!” 

He frowned, eyebrows drawing down as a dark look cast over his features. “I’m not.”

Rose arched an eyebrow. “Then how come I’m holdin’ this book with your name on it?” 

He turned back to the bookshelf, grabbing a few DVDs he’d set aside. “I wrote a book. That doesn’t mean I’m a writer.” 

“Really? ‘Cos I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what it means.” 

He didn’t answer her, just flicked his eyes back up to hers for a moment. 

Rose flipped the book over. “So is it a book on physics or something?” 

His lips quirked imperceptibly. “No. It’s fiction.” 

“Oh. Can--” she stopped, assuming he wouldn’t want her reading it since he seemed so uncomfortable with her even knowing about it. She cleared her throat, starting over. “Do, uhm, do you still write?” 

“I do, yes. Sometimes.” He turned back towards the bookshelf, staring at the movies in his hands with far more concentration than seemed necessary, before finally selecting one and replacing the others on the shelf. He faced her again, a grin plastered on his face. “I’ve got it!  _Back to the Future_!” 

Rose blinked at the shift in tone, realizing that meant the end of that vein of conversation for him. She decided to let it go. “Good choice, I suppose,” she said slowly, grinning back.   

He relaxed slightly, giving her an almost thankful look for letting the topic drop. His eyes became bright as his voice was laced with playful disapproval. “You ‘ _suppose_?!’” 

She rolled her eyes. “I’m having you on. I love  _Back to the Future_. Now come on, pop that in and let’s order a pizza.” 

He grinned, genuinely this time, all wide and goofy. “Molto Bene!” he said, shooting her a wink. 

She laughed, bouncing on her toes slightly, easily feeding off his energy. She didn’t need to know everything about him, she reasoned. He was a bit of a mystery, but he wasn’t a stranger. 

 

……. 

 

John looked up from his pizza to see Rose eyeing it with distaste. “Wha’?” he asked, mouth full. 

“Got enough stuff on your pizza, there?” 

He swallowed indignantly. “Excuse you, this is the best pizza in the universe.” 

“Yeah? How would you know?” 

“I’ve got a spaceship,” he said, smugly. 

“Do you now?” 

“Mmmhmm,” he said, head bobbing up and down. “Been to every pizza place in the whole universe.” 

“Really?” she said, dryly. 

“Yep! And did I mention...it travels in time too.” 

“Of course it does. Does it also happen to be a DeLorean?” she asked, nodding her head at the main menu of the movie they had yet to start. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s the best ship in the universe. The DeLorean’s got nothing on it.” 

“Marty McFly would be jealous.” 

“Oh, he absolutely would. He’d have no idea if his pizza was the best pizza in the whole wide universe.” 

“How can you even tell under all those toppings?” she asked, biting into her own slice of pepperoni. “‘s’not even pizza anymore.” 

He rolled his eyes, talking around another huge bite. “That’s rubbish--” 

“--I’ll bet.” 

“Oi!” He swallowed again. “It’s not  _that_ much! It’s just pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, red peppers, yellow peppers, olives, onion--” 

“--any anchovies?” 

John wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Oh, now that’s disgusting. Of course not.” 

Rose giggled and he gave her pizza a once-over. “That absurdly plain pizza of yours have any flavour?” 

“Plenty, thanks. You know, just because they have that huge list of toppings, doesn’t mean you have to choose them all, right?” 

“Of course, but then my pizza would be lacking character like yours.” 

“And my pizza has to have character, does it?” 

“Wellll, my pizza’s adventurous. Yours is like the beans on toast of pizzas.” 

“You’re so sure yours is so superior, huh?” 

“Oh yes. Time and space traveller,” he said, pointing to himself.   

Rose set her paper plate aside, brushing her hands together to shake off any crumbs, and turned to face him on the sofa, sitting on her knees. “Let me try then.” 

“What?” he squeaked, pizza slice halfway to his mouth. 

“You’re so sure yours is so much better. Let me try.” 

He blinked at her a moment before wordlessly holding out the piece he’d been about to eat towards her. 

She rested her hand on the back of the sofa by his shoulder, balancing herself as she leaned forward and took a bite of the proffered slice. As she drew back chewing, she took in his surprised expression and raised her eyebrows. 

“All right?” she asked, after she’d swallowed. 

“Y-yes. I just thought you were...I’m fine.” 

Rose looked down at his hand still holding the piece of pizza and she laughed as realization hit her. “Oh, you were just going to hand that to me, yeah?” She made a face. “That’s rubbish by the way.” 

“I-” he cleared his throat, bringing his voice down an octave. “Well, I--not that I mind that you--I just--” he dropped his pizza back on his plate, tripping over his words. 

“You sure you’re a writer?” Rose asked teasingly. 

He looked at her blankly. 

“You’re not very good at finishing sentences,” she explained, then froze. Shit. So much for letting the earlier topic go. 

He leaned forward, placing his own plate back on the table. Then to her surprise--and relief--he gave her a small smile. “No, I’m not. Absolute rubbish.” 

Rose smiled softly, slipping her knees from underneath her and scooting closer to him. “Is that why you get so nervous?” 

“Yes and no.” He looked down at the hands in his lap which he was fiddling nervously. “I-I have a tendency to say the wrong thing. I think it’s probably related to the fact I’m fantastically talented at disappointing people,” he said, with a hollow laugh. 

Rose nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Join the club. I never even finished my A levels.” She brought her thumb to her lips and began chewing on her nail. “I’m sorta useless,” she mumbled, almost as if to herself.   

John’s head shot up to look at her, drawing her hand away from her mouth almost unconsciously. “You’re not useless.” 

Rose glanced down at her hand in his where it rested on his lap. “You barely know me.” 

“I know you’re not useless. I think you’re brilliant,” he said, earnestly. 

“Yeah?” she asked, lips quirking. 

He smiled, nodding. He looked down at their hands on his thigh, quickly letting go. “You know,” he added, lightly. “For a roommate.” 

She laughed. “Glad you think so ‘cos you’re kinda stuck with me.” 

“Fine by me,” he answered, eyes bright and crinkled at the corners as he grinned.   

She licked her lips, nervous to say what was on her mind, but deciding to go for it. “You know, you can’t be that bad of a writer. You had a book published.” 

The sadness she’d seen earlier entered his eyes again. “That was a long time ago. Back when I could still finish a damn thing.” 

“But you’re still a writer.” 

“I suppose.” 

“You don’t like to talk about it.” It wasn’t a question. 

“It’s not that. It’s…” he paused, sucking in a breath, “I don’t like to…” he squinted, searching for the right word, “remember. Talking about it brings up...things. Memories.” 

Rose thought a moment before answering, “Well, isn’t that why people write? Or read or draw or...whatever? To escape.” 

He glanced over at her, an unreadable expression on his face. “I haven’t thought about it like that in quite a while.” 

“Maybe you should,” she said, giving him a small smile. 

He smiled back softly. “Maybe.” 

They were quiet for a moment, then Rose heaved a sigh, releasing her breath with a laugh. “We’re quite the pair.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Me, stuck in my same old job at the shop. You, stuck with your writing.” 

He chuckled, “We are. Terribly melancholy.” 

“Melancholy….” she said, drawing the word out as if to taste it. “Good word,” she added, flashing him a cheeky grin. 

“Writer,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. 

Rose bit her lip, deciding if she should ask what she nearly had earlier. “Do you, uhm, think I could...read your book sometime?” 

He looked surprised. “You’d want to?” 

“Well, yeah if...yeah.” 

He opened his mouth, then seemed to change his mind, his surprise turning to something sad, and closed it. “Ehm...sure,” he said, uncertainly. “One day.” 

She felt a pang of disappointment. Too soon. She nodded, picking up her plate of pizza and the remote control. “Well, what do you say we ignore the fact we’re both very stuck and pretend we’re going back in time instead?” she said, lightly. 

His eyes lit up again, as he reached over and snagged the remote from her hand, grinning mischieviously. 

“I say we leave immediately,” he said and pressed play. 


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

John heard the front door open and close, announcing Rose’s arrival. The door to her bedroom creaked and he knew she was going in to put her purse down. One day a week he got home from work before she did and he knew the pattern of her routine almost as well as he knew his own. It hadn’t taken long at all for them to overlap as they seemed to spend an increasing amount of time together. He heard the sound of her bed springs squeaking as she flopped onto her pink comforter and any other day he would’ve appeared in her doorway, leaned up against the doorframe and they’d talk about their days. 

Right now, however, he was tinkering. More than tinkering. He was quite sure he’d _finally_ figured out the problem in his schematic and if he just attached this piece right _there--_  

“Ow! Fuck! _Ouch!_ ” He yelped, sucking his finger into his mouth as sparks flew from the object in his hand and left his nerves tingling unpleasantly. He threw the offending piece of junk onto his worktable, frustration and pain sizzling through his veins. “Damn it!” 

“Alright in here?” Rose asked, poking her head around the door. 

He quickly pulled his thumb out of his mouth with a ‘pop.’ “Fine! I was just working on some things,” he said, leaning up against the worktable and knocking an abandoned project from weeks ago onto the floor. He chose to ignore the shattering sound it made as it landed and hoped she would too. 

She did. “Can I, uh...do you want help?” she asked, glancing down almost as soon as she’d asked.

“Really?” he asked in surprise.

“Yeah.” 

“Brilliant!” He waved her over and tried to explain what it was he was doing. 

“How do you do that?” Rose asked after a moment, stopping him mid-sentence. 

“Do what?” 

“You’re like working on it without even looking ‘cos you’re so busy explaining what it _should_ be doing.” 

“I...don’t know,” he said shrugging. “Just sort of on automatic, I suppose.” 

“Huh, impressive,” she said mildly. 

“You think?” He asked, preening a bit. 

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up.” 

“Sorry,” he said, but he smiled, feeling her eyes on his hands moving deftly over the (frankly brilliant) mechanics of his device. Well, sort of brilliant. If it actually worked. “How was your day, by the way?” he added, glancing up at her. 

She sighed. “Before or after I realized Shareen wasn’t going to show up for her shift?” She laughed humorlessly. “Actually it was shit before and after so it doesn’t matter, really.” 

“Why didn’t she show up?” 

“Latest boyfriend trouble.” 

“Ah.” 

“It’s so stupid, I _told_ her she should--” 

“Ah-ha!” He exclaimed suddenly, cutting her off. 

“What?” 

“I think I’ve--yes! Rose, can you hand me that screwdriver there?” He asked, holding two pieces in place on the device. 

“Uh, sure,” she said, taken aback. She spun around to face his dresser, spotting the screwdriver laying on top and snatching it up. “Here you go, Doctor,” she said brightly, handing it over. 

He froze, fumbling with the device and nearly dropping it. 

“I--” Rose began, but he snatched the tool from her hand and turned briskly away. 

“Yes. Thank you,” he said stiffly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her mouth open to attempt an apology again. “So,” he said, quickly redirecting the conversation, “You told your friend what?” 

Rose blinked. “Uhm, I just warned her, you know, after last time that she should really be more careful.” 

He nodded. “Quite right, I’m sure.” 

“Yeah.” A strange look crossed her face and she began picking at her thumbnail. “Still, she’d never listen to me of all people.” 

“Why not?” he asked, meeting her eyes. 

She gave him a sad smile. “No reason.”

 

…….

 

“Oh, but you _must_ have heard of him! His last book was a bestseller!” 

John glanced up uncertainly from the seemingly endless array of books in the Romance section to the expectant blonde before him. He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not, ah, really my area,” he explained for what felt like the thousandth time, taking a step back and pointing his thumb over his shoulder. “I really think my sister, Donna, would be more helpful with--” 

“What _is_ your area?” she asked undeterred. 

He sighed, glancing around the shop for his sister, but to no avail. It had been one of those days that seemed like it would never end, and indeed, there was still no end in sight. He was going to have to stay late again, he’d missed his lunch break earlier dealing with an angry customer, and the last thing he wanted right now was Renee asking him _again_ for help finding a book in a genre he knew nothing about. 

“I’m more of a science-fiction person, myself,” he said tiredly. “But I can try to look up your book on the computer, if you’d like.” He _definitely_ didn’t want to do that. She never ended up buying anything anyway. If she were here to browse, that’d be one thing. He loved browsing for books, always on the lookout for a new story to add to his collection, but that usually involved wandering around and _looking._ She always sought him out straight away, asking for reading suggestions she never actually took or asking him about some book he’d never heard of by an author he’d never heard of in a genre that consisted of mostly rubbish, in his opinion. 

“Oh, no need,” Renee answered, waving away the suggestion with a flick of her hand. He barely suppressed his sigh of relief. “Oh! I know, how about--” she began, but cut off as his attention was diverted by the chime of the bell from the entrance to the shop. 

His face split into a grin as he saw Rose standing in the doorway, glancing around as if searching for something. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said hurriedly to Renee, before making his way over to Rose. 

She was peering at the collection of New Arrivals, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned forward and shifted the plastic bag she was holding in her hand. 

“Rose!” he said as he reached her. 

She looked up, smile spreading across her face. “Hello,” she answered, and hearing her voice felt like a very strange relief after the day he’d had. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I knew you were working late,” she began, holding up the bag in her hand and lifted out two take-out containers. “I thought you might want some dinner,” she explained. 

His jaw dropped open and he eyed the containers hungrily, his stomach letting out a loud growl. “You thought right.” 

She laughed. “Got here just in time, then,” she said, but her eyes wandered to something somewhere over his shoulder. “Oh, sorry, didn’t realize you had a customer.” 

“What?” he asked, glancing back at Renee distractedly. “Oh, right. I’ve got to find Donna. Come with me, though,” he said, leading her by the arm to the counter at the front of the shop. 

At that moment, the bell on the door rang out again and he and Rose glanced up to see Donna enter, hands full with her own shopping bags. “Where were you?” he exclaimed as Donna wound her way towards them. 

“I told you earlier, I was running errands, you dunce,” she said irritably, setting her bags down and beginning to remove several items. 

“Oh.” He frowned, trying to remember that conversation, but failing. “Anyway, you’re here now. That Renee woman needs your help,” he said, waving his hand carelessly towards where he’d left her. 

Donna rolled her eyes. “I don’t exactly think my help is what she needs.” She looked at Rose then who was crumpling up the bag as John removed the take-out boxes. “Who are you?” 

“Oh, I’m Rose,” she answered quickly, extending her hand. “I’m John’s--” 

“--So _you’re_ the new flatmate,” Donna said briskly, shaking her hand as she seemed to eye her from head to toe. 

“Yep,” Rose said brightly. 

John cut in, “Rose, this is my sister, Donna.” 

“Yes, I guessed that,” she replied cheekily. 

Donna gave her an approving smile. “Nice to meet you, Rose.” She shot a look at the food on the counter. “You brought that for him?” 

Rose looked back at the food uncertainly. “Well, yeah.” 

Donna smirked, glancing at John. “Jack never brought you food when he came to visit you. Just came in to charm the pants off every customer.” 

“Literally,” John muttered. 

“He didn’t mention you were gorgeous _and_ thoughtful,” Donna said smiling at Rose, before picking up her shopping bags again. She nudged open the door behind the counter with her foot, adding, “Don’t let his skinny arse fool you, though. He eats too much as it is,” before stepping into the back room. 

“I do not!” John shot over his shoulder. 

Rose raised her eyebrows at him, playful smile on her lips. “You said I was gorgeous?” 

He coughed, busying himself with putting away the items Donna had laid out on the counter. “I...might’ve mentioned it.” 

Donna snorted as she came back out, rolling her eyes as she passed on her way over to Renee. “Twice!” 

Rose ducked her head with a laugh. “Twice, huh?” 

“Well, I--er,” John avoided her eye, instead opening the take-out container and seizing on the opportunity for a change of subject. “Chips! You brought chips! Brilliant!” 

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I did,” she said, watching in amusement as he began shoveling the food in his mouth greedily. “And thank you.” 

He looked at her blankly. 

“For saying...” She cleared her throat. “You know, for calling me that.” 

“Oh, of-of course.” He sniffed, yanking on his tie suddenly. “No need to thank me, though. I mostly talked about what a nightmare you are to live with, naturally.” 

She smirked. “Naturally. For instance?” 

He grinned, propping his arms on the counter and leaning towards her. “Wellllll, you’re a slob for one, you’re far too attached to the colour pink, you’re way too controlling of what we watch on telly, and you have _very_ poor taste in pizza. I mean, really, just a total nightmare.” 

Rose tsked, shaking her head. “I’m surprised you haven’t chucked me out on the street, already.” 

He grinned, popping another chip into his mouth. “Nonsense, who else would put up with me?” 

“Very few people, I imagine,” Rose agreed, beginning to dig in to her own chips. “You think it’s rough livin’ with me….” 

“Oi!” 

She grinned at him, tongue sneaking out to poke between her teeth and his indignant look melded into a smile of his own.

 

…….

 

John looked up as Rose yawned, checking off an item on the clipboard in her hands and pulling another box of books towards her. 

“Why are you doing that?” he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. 

Rose raised her eyebrows at him. “Isn’t that what you said? Check off all these?” She nodded towards the large piles of books she’d already inventoried. “If I’ve been doing somethin’ wrong this whole time, then we’ve got a problem.” 

He smiled softly. “No, no. You’re doing perfectly. I just mean...why are you here? Why are you helping me?” 

After they’d eaten, she’d hung around and chatted with him until suddenly it was dark out and Donna was leaving. He’d expected her to go at that point, but she’d followed him into the back room and asked what she could do to help. He’d accepted without a second thought, but now he realized how thoughtless he’d been. 

“I want to help.” 

“You don’t need to.” 

She smiled. “Don’t be daft, you’ve got loads to do, and I wasn’t gonna leave you on your own.” 

“But you didn’t have to.” 

She shrugged, returning her attention to her work. “What else am I gonna do?” 

“I dunno,” he said slowly. “Wouldn’t you rather be with friends or a...have you got--well, I’m sure you have got, but I never asked if...” he spluttered. 

Rose looked back up, arching an eyebrow at him. “What are you on about?” 

“I--I just...I thought you might have a...a boyfriend or something,” he mumbled, then kicked himself internally, wishing he could turn his gob off. 

“Oh. Uhm. I don’t, no. I did have...but...that’s uh--it ended.” 

“Oh.” 

“I did actually get asked out by this guy in IT this week though. Adam.” 

He scoffed, “ _IT_?! Those guys are nerds.” 

“Bit rich, coming from you.” 

“No, but they’re all...all...arrogant.” 

“You called yourself brilliant 12 times the other day.” 

“I’m confident! Different thing. You’ll see. Arseholes, the lot of them,” he said firmly. 

She rolled her eyes. “Thank you for your concern.” She paused. “What about you, then? You got anyone?” 

“No. I’m not really…” He cocked his head, considering, “the dating type.” 

“What d’you mean?” 

“I’m not really good at all that small talk. Or regular-talk, really. I muck up my words or I talk too much. You’ve seen it. I’m a disaster.” 

“No, you’re not.” She gave him a small smile. “I like talking to you.” 

He smiled back. “Well, you’re an exception.” The warmth faded from his expression and he looked back down at his clipboard. “People...er, don’t stick around in my life for very long,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s just best not to get involved.” 

Rose was silent for a moment but he could feel her eyes on him. It was several more moments before she spoke again. 

“Did you lose someone?” she finally asked. 

His hand tightened around his pen until he felt his nails dig into his palm. He swallowed, before finally answering. “I did, yes.” 

Her voice was so quiet, it sounded closer to a whisper as she asked, “Who was it?” 

“My parents.” 

He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry,” she said and he cut his eyes to her as she began chewing on her bottom lip. “I lost my dad,” she added, glancing at him for just a moment. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“S’alright. It was a long time ago. I don’t remember much about him.” 

Laying his pen down, he began carding a hand through his hair as his heart raced. He didn’t have a clue what to say next. Logically, he knew what should come next. What he could tell her. What he _should_ tell her. 

“Rose?” he asked instead. 

She looked up, met his gaze. 

“Why did you call me Doctor, the other day?” 

She frowned slightly, looking confused, but not angry at the seeming change of topic. “I...I dunno, really. You were working on that….whatever that was, and I thought about how mad-scientist you looked again, and it just sort of slipped out.” 

He nodded, looking down. “Right. Doctor. That’s me.” 

She stretched her leg out, nudging his knee with the toe of her shoe. “I can call you, ‘Writer,’ if you prefer,” she said, giving him a small smile. It quickly faded when he didn’t say anything. “Or just John,” she mumbled drawing her leg back underneath her. 

He opened his mouth to say something, though he had no idea what, when she stood up. 

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should go.”

He watched as she glanced around for her purse that she’d set down earlier, a mess of emotions he couldn’t even name half of swirling around inside him. Finally, spotting her purse behind a stack of books, she leaned down and slid it onto her shoulder. She turned towards the door, giving him a small, nervous wave. “Bye, then.”

“Rose, wait,” he called suddenly.

She turned, her hand shooting up to fiddle with her earring but she quickly dropped it back to her side.

He cleared his throat. “You--you can call me ‘Doctor’ if you want. I don’t mind it.” 

She frowned, eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to read his expression. 

The corners of his mouth turned up into a soft, crooked smile. 

She twisted her body slightly, crossing her arms as she seemed to consider his words. Finally she looked back at him with a grin. “It’s late.” She stuck out her hand towards him. “I think we should go home, Doctor.” 

Looking down at the clipboard in his hand, he nodded and set it down. He smiled, standing up and grabbing her hand. “Yeah."

 


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I just suck and this took forever. This is also much shorter than the other chapters because I had to cut it off early considering where the next chapter begins, but that means the next will be quite a bit longer and filled with all kinds of stuff :D

Chapter Four

 

“No, it’s not that, Mum, I’ve just been busy. I know. I _know_ , but--” 

 _Well, if you can’t find time for your own mother, then I suppose--_  

“ _Mum…_ ” 

_Well I’m just sayin’, you used to come ‘round much more often and now it’s like I never see you. I don’t know what’s going on with you. Do you still work at Henriks? Are you still blonde?_

Rose rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m still blonde, Mum.” She looked up to see the Doctor raise his eyebrows in amusement. 

“Why are you lying about your new purple hair, Rose?” The Doctor said loud enough for Jackie to hear.

Rose grabbed the pillow behind her and flung it at his head. “Shut up, you idiot,” she hissed, covering the mouthpiece of her phone. She sighed. “No. No. _No, Mum_ , I didn’t dye my hair. That was just John being stupid.”

_Why the hell would he say somethin’ like that?!_

“Because he’s an idiot,” Rose said, staring at him pointedly. He just grinned at her around the noodles he was slurping over his take-out container.

_Well, that’s a bloody stupid thing to lie about. What kind of man are you livin’ with, Rose? I’m serious about what I said before, ya know, you don’t know enough about ‘im. What if he’s some kind of pathological liar?_

“Mum, stop. It’s fine. _I’m_ fine. Look, I’ll try to pop ‘round this weekend, yeah?”

John frowned at that, his mouth opening to protest, but Rose held up her finger, silencing him.

_If you think you can find the time…._

Rose held back a groan. “I’ll come see you Saturday, alright?”

Jackie’s voice softened. _Alright, sweetheart, I’ll see you then. I’ll make some shepherd’s pie, I’m sure you’ve been eating nothing but junk lately._

Rose guiltily eyed the Chinese food on the table. “Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later, Mum. Bye.” She hung up the phone, throwing an arm over her eyes and sinking back until her head rested against the arm of the sofa again, and groaned.

John prodded her feet that were resting in his lap. “Everything alright?”

Rose sighed. “Yes, I just hadn’t planned on going over there this weekend.”

“Yes, about that, Rose, we’re having a Harry Potter marathon this weekend!”

She lifted her arm to see his bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “I know that. Believe me, I’d rather be here than at my mum’s being quizzed on my work and love life. Both of which are going nowhere, of course, to which I’ll get an earful about.”

He squinted at her. “Okay, we’ll start the marathon on Friday, then." He turned himself towards her, frowning slightly as he asked, "I thought work has been going better?” 

“It has, but it doesn’t really _matter_. My boss just hasn’t been as much of an arsehole lately. It’s not like I’m doin’ anything useful with my life.” 

He wrapped his hand around her foot, wiggling it back and forth until she looked at him again. “You’re more than useful, you’re brilliant. And you will find something, you just haven’t found it yet. Besides, you _are_ doing something. You’re retaking your A levels.” 

She bit her bottom lip, mumbling doubtfully, “I suppose.” 

He coughed, looking back down at his food. “As for the, ehm, other thing…” 

Rose frowned. “What other thing?” Her eyes widened in understanding and she snorted. “Oh, my love life?” 

“Yes, that. What about Alex or whatever his name is?” 

“Adam. And we’ve gone on one date, that’s hardly a love life.” She sat up, reaching for the Chinese food and the remote. “You know, my mum is right about one thing. One of us should really learn how to cook. This is really unhealthy.” 

He tossed a piece of chicken in the air with his chopsticks and caught it in his mouth, grinning proudly at her. “Speak for yourself. I’m fine with this lifestyle choice.” 

“Yeah, well, that’s because you can eat like this every night and not gain a pound, you skinny git.” She stuck a finger in the waistband of her sweats and snapped the elastic against her skin. “I’ve been wearing these way too much, lately.” 

“Nonsense,” he said, and she looked up at the much higher octave of his voice. He averted his eyes from her waist and cleared his throat. Rose stared at him. _Weird_. He continued, “You look...you know, you _still_ look like--like you’ve always looked.” 

Rose narrowed her eyes, not entirely sure what that meant. “Well, still, even if you can’t seem to gain any weight, it’s not healthy and we should both start eating better.” She dropped her chopsticks into her container as an idea occurred to her. “Hang on...you should come with me to my mum’s.” 

His eyes widened in fear. “What?! _No_.” 

Rose laughed. “Why not?” 

“Uh, because I’ve heard enough about your mother to be properly terrified, thanks.” 

“Oi, she’s not _that_ bad.” He looked at her in disbelief. “Alright, she’s not that bad with my _friends_ ,” she amended. “Which you are.” 

He still looked doubtful. “But, Rose….” 

“It won’t be that bad! Besides, then she’ll stop asking me if I’m sure you’re not an axe murderer or something.” 

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why would she think that? What on earth have you been telling her about me, Rose Tyler?” 

“All the awful things, obviously,” she said with a cheeky grin. “Come on, Doctor, please?” 

She’d been hesitant to use that nickname again since the other night and she waited for a moment, slightly tensed. His lips quirked up in a small smile as something changed in his eyes and she relaxed. He sighed. “Oh, alright, might as well clear my good name because I,” he said pointing one of his chopsticks at her, “am no axe murderer. I’m a murderer of toasters, electric razors, and other small appliances exclusively.” 

Rose giggled. “But, really, you’ll go?” 

He nodded. “Really.” 

……. 

“You’re going to meet her _mother?_ Well, aren’t you two adorable?” Donna said, poking her head out from behind one of the shelves. 

Rose laughed and heard a thunk from behind her. She looked back from where she sat on top of the front counter in time to see John duck down, ears burning red. 

He popped back up, retrieved book in hand and frowned. “Donna…” he grumbled. 

“I’m just saying,” she continued, “that’s like proper couple, right there. Very sweet.” 

His blush deepened and he opened his mouth to retort, but Rose laid her hand over his, smiling gently. “Hey, relax. It’s fine.” 

His eyes flicked from her hand on his to her eyes and he nodded tightly, closing his mouth with a click. 

Donna glanced over, rolling her eyes at her brother. “I’m teasing, Spaceman.” She bent down to retrieve more books from the box at her feet and continued, “What are you doing here, anyway, Rose? Didn’t you have a date tonight?” 

“Yeah, but he had to cancel.” 

John rolled his eyes, muttering, “Idiot.” 

Rose raised her eyebrows at him. “Why’s that make him an idiot? He had to work.” 

John scoffed. “He works in bloody IT, what could he possibly have had to do that was so important?” 

Rose shrugged. “How should I know? Not exactly my department.”   

He looked at her in surprise. “You didn’t even ask?” 

“No? Why should I?” she asked, beginning to feel a bit defensive. “Honestly, why the hell do you care so much?” 

“I don’t!” 

“Looks like it,” she said, crossing her arms. 

“I just think you can do better than someone who stands you up on the third date, that’s all,” he explained. 

She rolled her eyes. “He didn’t ‘stand me up.’ Blimey, you haven’t even met him and you seem to hate him already.” 

“I don’t,” he said, picking up the box from behind the counter and kicking open the door to the back room. “I’m just...looking out for you, that’s all.” 

“You could be less of a prat about it,” Rose muttered. 

He poked his head back out. “I am _not_ being a prat. I just think you’re missing certain...signs.” 

“Signs,” she repeated. 

“Yes, like your first date, for example. You told me about how he spent the first half hour talking about some computer virus--” 

“--Which I _completely_ regret telling you about, by the way.” 

“But, see, that’s just--just... _rude_ ,” he said, ignoring her. 

“Ha! Remind me of that next time you’re talking my ear off about your newest invention,” Donna snarked.

He walked back to the counter, picking up a pen as he scratched something off in his notepad and rolled his eyes. “But I wouldn’t do that on a _date_.” 

“I thought you said you didn’t date,” Rose pointed out. 

“I said I’m not the dating type, not that I’ve never been on one.” 

“And you’re sure this isn’t because you have some weird bias against IT guys?”

“I don’t care what _kind_ of nerds you date, I just think you could do better, that’s all.” 

“Uh huh,” she said, disbelief lacing her voice. 

“But really, Rose, if you’re that into nerds, at least find a better one than this guy,” he added, walking over to Donna as she came over with another load of books in hand. 

Donna smirked, giving him a funny look as she handed over the books.  “Have anyone in particular in mind, John?” 

“What?” he shook his head, brow furrowed in confusion. Rose watched as a look passed between them she couldn’t understand and John’s eyes widened for a moment before he fixed her with a stare. “ _No_ ,” he said firmly. “I’m just saying.” He grabbed the books from Donna and turned away, looking agitated. 

Rose shot him a questioning look, but he ignored it.  “....I’m not ‘into nerds,’” she began again slowly. “I mean, I’m not _not_ into them either. But I’ve never dated one before.” She huffed. “Why are we even talking about this anyway?” 

“Donna’s the one who brought it up,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.   

“Because I was curious! You’re the one who’s being an idiot,” Donna shot back. 

“How am I being an idiot?” he asked hotly. He dropped the box at his feet, holding up his hand towards Donna. “You know what, don’t answer that.” 

Rose shook her head, glancing down at her phone. “I hate to break up what’s probably bound to turn into World War III, but, John, it’s 5 o’clock.” 

His frown immediately melted into a huge grin and he clapped his hands together. “Right! Yes!” He picked the box back up, scurrying into the backroom before rushing back out empty-handed and grabbing his coat off the rack. 

“Where the hell are you two going?” Donna asked, as John held his hand out for Rose to jump down from the counter. 

“It’s Friday,” he said cheerfully. “ _Harry Potter_ weekend!” 

“Oh, you’re a nerd as well,” Donna said, looking at Rose and nodding as if understanding something. “Really hit the jackpot there, Spaceman.” 

Rose looked up at him grinning, tongue caught between her teeth and he smiled back down at her, eyes bright and warm. “Don’t I just know it,” he said and they walked out the door.

 

 

 


End file.
